Reps upbraid WAEC for failing to account for N5 billion calculators

House of Representatives Committee on Basic Examination Bodies has upbraided the Head of the Nigeria National Office of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), Dr Amos Dangut, over his inability to render an account of how his Council expended the sum of N5 billion on the procurement of customised calculators for students.

The committee, chaired by Mr Oforji Oboku, accused WAEC of breaching the financial, public procurement and financial regulations Acts over the payment of 50 per cent of the contract for the construction of its Taraba State office, worth N532 million.

The lawmakers, at the committee’s proceeding, yesterday, accused Dangut of conducting himself like an “uncooperative witness” by refusing to render WAEC’s statement of account, which should have indicated the lodgment of the money sourced from First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) as a loan.

Recall that the Committee had at its proceeding on July 23 directed Dangut to, among others, tender WAEC’s statement of account from 2018 to 2023, its nominal roll, evidence of the submission of WAEC’s audited account to the office of the Auditor General of the Federation and details of how it raised a N6 billion deficit to fund its 2023 budget, worth N33.3 billion.

The committee maintained that WAEC lacked the powers to source and expend the N5 billion loans without the approval of the National Assembly, Ministerial Tenders Board and the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

The committee insisted that the Nigerian office of WAEC was obliged by law to render an account of its expenditure since it did not only operate within the Nigerian territory but was supported with funds from the Federation Account and funded by money collected from student applicants of its examination.

However, Dangut, accompanied by officials of his council, submitted the WAEC cash book as against the bank statement of account demanded by the lawmakers.

Dangut, who was grilled over the propriety of his action, explained that he was empowered by not only the WAEC board but by the convention establishing WAEC to go into any deal to achieve the set goal of his outfit.

Dangut, who pleaded with the lawmakers to give him another date to enable him to present the statement of account, also explained that he had to pay 50 per cent of the Taraba office contract sum to avoid the astronomical rise in the inflationary trend in the country.

MEANWHILE, the Controller of WAEC in charge of Ogun State, MrAyobamiSuberu, has faulted an online media report insinuating that the results of some public school students in the state were withheld due to indebtedness.

Suberu, described the report as mischievous and unbalanced, adding that the Ogun State Government was not indebted to the council in any way.

He explained that the results of the affected students were still pending because of a technical hitch, which was being looked into for quick redress and immediate action.